1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a marking system, and more particularly, to a marking system for use in the marking of underground facilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Excavators are required to notify underground facility owners in advance of their excavation activities and to describe and communicate the geographic area of those activities to underground facility owners. The geographic area so described is commonly referred to as “the dig area.” In turn, facility owners (which, as used herein, may include owners, operators, and/or third party contractors that provide services to a facility owner as an agent or otherwise) are required to determine if they own or operate any underground facilities at an identified dig area. The presence or absence of underground facilities at a dig area is generally detected using a device commonly referred to as a “locate wand.” Locate wands use a number of electronic methods to detect the presence or absence of underground facilities. The presence of those underground facilities, if any, which exist within a dig area is marked using paint or some other physical marking system, such as flags. Paint is generally applied as a sequence of dashes or dots on the surface (grass, dirt, asphalt, concrete, and the like) above the underground facility and is color-coded to indicate to the excavator the type (e.g., gas, water, sewer, power, telephone, cable television, and the like) of the underground facility present. Flags, which also may identify the underground facility using color-coding, can be placed in the ground above the underground facility being marked. Paint and/or flags can be dispensed using various devices. The application of paint, flags, or some other marking object to indicate the presence of an underground facility is called a “locate” or “locate operation”. The marks, for example, paint or flags, resulting from a locate are commonly called underground facility “locate marks”.
A marking tool is typically used to mark the ground, pavement, or other surfaces in order to provide a visual indication of the presence or absence of underground facilities. Paint is a commonly used marker and is typically applied using a paint marking tool. The color of the paint is generally chosen to correspond to the type of facility being marked (e.g., red color for a power line, and the like). A variety of markers, such as liquids, flags, and stakes are also used and different visual or other characteristics of the marker are used for representing and corresponding to different types of underground facilities. For example, the color, shape, or other characteristic of a flag marker can represent a particular type of underground facility (e.g., a square shaped flag for a power line, and the like).
If paint is used as the marker, a locate technician marks the presence or absence of an underground facility using a paint marking tool to spray paint on the ground above or near the facility. The paint marking tools commonly used have a paint canister holder that is adapted to hold a single aerosol can of paint in an axial orientation with respect to the long axis of the aerosol can. The paint marking tool is typically designed to enable a locate technician or user to walk or stand erect while dispensing the paint.
Upon locating the presence or absence of an underground facility, the locate technician will load a paint can of the appropriate color for the facility being marked into the paint marking tool. If a different type of facility needs to be marked, the locate technician must change the paint can to one of the appropriate color associated with the new facility being marked.